Shoe and process of making the same



Nov. 27, 1934. A, J. BRAUER E1' AL SHOE AND PROCESS OF MAKING'THE SAME Filed Feb. 15, 1955 Emy/' y Patented Nov. 2&7, 1191,34l

UNITED STATES ASHOE AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAIWE Arthur J. Brauer, St. Louis County, and Frederick' Y P. Wagner, St. Louis, Mo., assignors to Brauer Bros., Inc., St. v Louis,

- Missouri Mo., a corporation of Application February 13, 1933, Serial No. 656,432

2 Claims.

This invention relates generally toshoes and particularly to a process of attaching theoutsole to the other shoe parts. Y

Heretofore in the manufacture of shoes, and particularly those of the McKay type, it has been the practicev to channel' the outsole, providing athin flap extending inwardly from the margin of the outsole for a distance of from arquarter to a half inch. .At the inner terminusv of the flap, a groove or channel has been provided in which the stitches securing the outsole to the other shoe parts may be placed. After the stitches have been applied, it has heretofore been the practice to turn down the flap, thereby 'concealing the stitches. Although when new such shoes present a neat appearance and there is no visible evidence of fastenings between the outsole and the other shoe parts, this condition does not obtain after the shoe has been worn a few times or hasbeen sufficiently exposed to permit the flap to` become loosened. Moreover, upon wearing, it is well known that the iiap soon becomes worn through, or disconnected from the body of the outsole particularly at its inner terminus, and consequentlyr a peeling of the iiap portion results, 'producing a'shoe which isfunsightly on the bottom. f f

It is among. the objects of the present invention tojprovidea shoewherein the fastening elements may be embedded in the outsole, but which, upon wearing, will not peel and become unsightly.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shoe wherein the fastening devices are inserted in a shallow slit extending into the body of the outsole but closed to conceal the stitching.

Other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the following description is read in connection with the. accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view taken through the forepart of an ordinary shoe, and showing the outsole attached to the other shoe parts in accordance with the present invention. f y

Figure 2 is a perspective View of a shoe sol having a slit extending into the body :thereof and adapted to be secured to a shoe in accordance with the present invention.

In accordance with the present invention generally stated, a shallow slit may be formed, extending into the body of the outsole and preferably in the region of the margin thereof. The slit may be formed at the edge of the tread surface extending diagonally, inwardly and downwardly therefrom, and maybe of just sumcient depth to permitclosing on-the fastener, which may be a line :of stitching, so as to conceal the latter. With such an arrangement there is a substantial thickness of leather between the stitching and the tread vsurface so that even severe wear does not tend to produce a peeling and expose the fasteners to view. By thus forming the slit at or near the edge of the outsole, the stitching or other fasteners may be inserted on a bias orinv a direction substantially diagonal from the edge of the outsole. In this manner, the margin of the outsole is not only .positively secured ytothe other lshoe parts sofv as toV prevent separation of the edge yofthe outsole from the adjacent upper, but also by stitching at z ornear the margin of the'upper,` it is apparent that the quantity of upper material'. required `to form the shoe is substantially reduced, yand accordingly the process of the present invention enables the patterns Lto' be reduced in size and accomplishes a substantial saving of leather stock for use as uppers. Y

Referring nowparticularly to the drawing, the .shoe illustrated in Figure `1 comprises'the usual vampzlvhaving 'overlasted edge portions 2, extending over.v and secured to an insole 3in `the-usual manners-It vwill be understood that theY construction rshowninthe drawing is ofthe McKay type sh'oes,.but that` the inventionis not y limited to shoes of this particular type or construction. The McKay type is shown merely for the purpose of illustrating one embodiment of the invention, and it is to be distinctly understood that the features of the present invention are applicable generally to the manufacture of shoes, and particularly to shoes wherein the outsole is secured to the upper and insole by through and through stitching. Although described in connection with McKay stitching, it will be understood that a lockstitch of the Littleway type may be employed when desired.

A particular feature of the present invention is the fact that the through and through stitching is at an angle to the surface of the sole. This requires that each stitch or loop be longer than would be the case if thestitching were normal to the surface or in the direction of minimum thickness. This lengthening or inclination of the stitching may be responsible for the noticeable flexibility of shoes constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Secured to the bottom of the shoe is an outsole 4, which, in accordance with the present invention, is provided with a shallow slit 5, extendingv inwardly and downwardly into the body of the outsole, and, as illustrated in the drawing, adjacent the margin of the tread surface 6. The slit 5 may extend entirely around the shank and forepart of the sole, that is, in front of the usual hee1 iiap 7, which, in accordance with the usual practice and as illustrated in Figure 2, is separated from the heel end of the sole 8. The shallow slit 5 may be formed in the nature of a furrow, the adjacent leather parts 9 and 10 being separated only sufficient topermit the entrance of a needle for applying the stitches or other fastener applying devices.

The outsole 4 may be placed upon the bottom of a shoe, the upper of which has been lasted over and suitably secured to an insole such as 3, and may have a suitable amount of an ordinary filler, such as 1l, applied between the marginal portions of the overlasted upper 2 and suitable fastening devices such, for instance, as a line of stitching 12 may be inserted in the shallow slit 5, extending substantially diagonally from adjacent the outer edge of the tread surface 6, as clearly shown in Figure l. After the stitching or other fasteners have been inserted, the adjacent leather 9 on the tread side of the slit may be pressed into contact with the leather 10 on the opposite side thereof and, suitably secured thereto as by cement so as to conceal the stitches and hold the parts 9 and 10 together. The usual finishing operations of shoe manufacturing may then be carried out.

If desired, the filler 1l may be omitted and the inner edges of the overlasted upper portions 2 ground or cut thin before the outsole is applied. When this is done the resultant shoes have particularly flat bottoms as distinguished from the ordinary convex bottoms.

In the construction shown the outside of the line of stitching 12 is as shown at 13 closer to the margin of outsole 4, than is the inside thereof (as shown at 14) to the margin of the insole. This arrangement tends to increase the tightness of edgework and eliminates so-called grinning.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that with a shoe constructed as hereinbefore described, and particularly in view of the fact that the securing devices are positioned close to the margin of the outsole, it is possible to reduce the quantity of overlasted upper which has heretofore existed between the insole and the outsole and thereby manifest a saving of upper material. Furthermore, the fasteners, such as a line of stitching, are embedded sufficiently deeply in the outsole that the tendency to peel and expose the fastening devices is substantially eliminated. In the particular construction shown herein, the slit 5 extending into the body of the outsole at the edge thereof, it is apparent that after closing the slit it will not be noticed except upon close eX- amination and the shoe will, therefore, present the appearance of one which does not have through and through fastenings.

Since the foregoing description and the accom'- panying drawing illustrate the invention in only one of its forms and it is realized that many modifications and applications to other forms will present themselves to those skilled in the art, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details of construction hereinbefore set forth or illustrated in the accompanying drawing. kIt is to be distinctly understood, therefore, that such modifications and the use of such individual features and subcombinations of features as do not depart from the spirit of this invention are, although not specifically described herein, contemplated by and within the scope of the appended claims.

{aving thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

l. In the art of securing soles to shoes, the process comprising, forming a shallow narrow slit eX- tending diagonally into the body of the sole from adjacent the marginal edge, and stitching the sole to adjacent shoe parts by stitches placed in the slit when the slit is in a substantially unopened condition, the direction of the stitching being substantially in prolongation of the slit.

2. In the art of securing soles to shoes, the process comprising, forming a shallow narrow slit extending diagonally into the body of the sole from the corner of the tread surface and the edge of the sole, and stitching the sole to adjacent shoe parts by stitches placed in the slit when the slit is in a substantially unopened condition, the direction of the stitching being substantially in prolongation of the slit.

. ARTHUR J. BRAUER.

FREDERICK P. WAGNER. 

